Scott Parker believes Aaron Lennon frightens defenders as much as Gareth Bale and is backing the in-form England winger to help Tottenham reach the Champions League.

Bale missed his side’s 3-1 win over Reading because he was suspended but a stunning display from Lennon meant the Welshman was not missed.

Bale’s impressive displays have made him a £50million target for Real Madrid but Parker insists Lennon is just as dangerous a player as his more celebrated team-mate.

“If I were a full-back, I couldn’t think of anything worse than having Aaron run at me and I’m sure every full-back out there has the same feeling,” said Parker. “It’s fair to say this is the best he has ever played.

“Over the last four or five weeks, Aaron has been unplayable and he was at a different level against Swansea, not just his raw pace and threat around the ball but also his work rate.

“Everyone knows the qualities we have out wide, and Bale and Aaron have been at the top of that. Gareth is a fantastic player and sometimes gets all the headlines but Aaron has certainly been key to it as well.

“We have a good side here with some good additions and we’re doing really well. We have been strong away from home and we’re sitting pretty in third in the League, so hopefully we can maintain that.”

Parker has yet to start a match this season after missing the first four months of the campaign following Achilles surgery. His last start was for England in the Euro 2012 defeat by Italy last June. Parker replaced Mousa Dembele with 20 minutes remaining against Reading and will have to work hard to force his way into the team, with Dembele and Sandro forming an impressive central midfield partnership.

Parker added: “When you’re out injured, it’s the worst time you can have as a footballer. I didn’t expect to be out for as long as I was but I always thought I’d get back to where I need to be and it’s about hard work now.

“There will always be a point in the season where form becomes patchy but you’d like to think that after taking 10 points over Christmas we can maintain the results we are getting and push on.”